Malcolm Turnbull fought hard for Kevin Rudd and Labor in his first stint as Liberal leader.
Christmas comes early for Rudd
Peter Hartcher
On the second anniversary of his election, Kevin Rudd got everything he wanted.
When the Liberal Party's leadership agreed to the Prime Minister's plan to put a price on carbon emissions, it positioned Rudd to win the signature reform of his first term.
And when the Coalition tore itself apart in debating the decision, it gave Rudd the gift of a chaotic Opposition.
The Opposition sent the most damaging combination of messages about itself it possibly could: it demonstrated it does not have confidence in its leader, yet it does not have a ready alternative.
Malcolm Turnbull's decision to try to deliver his party for Rudd's reform quickly developed into a proxy debate on his leadership.
Malcolm lost the debate. By 1 December 2009 the Liberal Party had a Liberal leading it.
For the Chairman, Climate Change was always bigger than the Party. The Liberal Party that is.
As a result, the Chairman joined the Labor side of the House for a while. Literally.
There he is sitting with then Labor Ministers Marn Fern and Dr Craig of Emerson Contacts.
The Chairman was unbridled in talking up Rudd's ETS to the cost of his party.
The day after Tony Abbott became leader of a Liberal Party that had determined not to support Rudd's ETS, Turnbull published this - not to his party's base but to his lefty luvvies on Twitter.
Thanks for your support - sorry haven't had a chance to reply to all yr msgs. Very disappointed the ETS has been blocked in the Senate.
Turnbull had Christmas 2009 to think things over. Many people of principle resign from a business or organisation over an issue like this. Very few stay, take the pay, pretend to be a part of the team - and publicly advocate for the opposition on the boss's time. Malcolm could have become an independent. He could have left the Parliament. He could have just shut up.
But that wouldn't be Malcolm.
No winners in fight over climate change
February 8, 2010 Phillip Coorey
Principle will make a rare appearance in Parliament today when Malcolm Turnbull speaks in favour of the emissions trading scheme legislation that was reintroduced last week.
Turnbull, who helped shape the scheme and then lost his leadership for trying to have the Coalition support it, will adhere to his view that the only serious way to reduce greenhouse gases is with a market mechanism that caps emissions and puts a price on carbon.
After losing the leadership, he predicted that whatever scheme the Coalition came up with as an alternative policy would be ''a con, an environmental fig leaf to cover a determination to do nothing''.
Turnbull did not change his opinion last week when the Coalition released its policy, which requires people to do nothing if they choose, and relies on pledges from industries that do not want an ETS to cut their emissions in return for taxpayer-funded incentives.
This week he must decide whether to cross the floor to support the government bill, as he has threatened, or abstain as colleagues are urging.
Abstaining would be better for party unity and would augur more favourably should Turnbull ever want to be leader again, a prospect that would not arise until after the election, at the very earliest.
Former Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull has crossed the floor of Federal Parliament to vote in support of Labor's emissions trading scheme.
Mr Turnbull sat with government MPs in the lower house on the second reading vote to pass the carbon pollution reduction scheme. He was joined by independent MP Rob Oakeshott.
It didn't matter to the Chairman that Labor had the numbers to do what it wanted anyway.
Didn't matter that he could have abstained or sat the whole thing out licking his wounds.
Try to picture John Howard in opposition sidling over to the government benches to sit amongst Ros Kelly, Treasurer Keating or Gareth Evans to help them out. Sorry, can't see it. But innovative Malcolm is a different story.
Turnbull sought the limelight for himself at the expense of his Party. That's the sort of bloke he is.
What's to stop him doing the same thing to his country?
Comments
Labor reminds Chairman Mal of his Messianic Climate Change credentials and his time on Labor's parliamentary benches
Helpful Bill Shorten yesterday.
Old Mr Turnbull believed in climate change. New Malcolm Turnbull is a fraud. https://t.co/xnAwnBOfgC
Malcolm Turnbull fought hard for Kevin Rudd and Labor in his first stint as Liberal leader.
Christmas comes early for Rudd
Peter Hartcher
On the second anniversary of his election, Kevin Rudd got everything he wanted.
When the Liberal Party's leadership agreed to the Prime Minister's plan to put a price on carbon emissions, it positioned Rudd to win the signature reform of his first term.
And when the Coalition tore itself apart in debating the decision, it gave Rudd the gift of a chaotic Opposition.
The Opposition sent the most damaging combination of messages about itself it possibly could: it demonstrated it does not have confidence in its leader, yet it does not have a ready alternative.
Malcolm Turnbull's decision to try to deliver his party for Rudd's reform quickly developed into a proxy debate on his leadership.
Malcolm lost the debate. By 1 December 2009 the Liberal Party had a Liberal leading it.
For the Chairman, Climate Change was always bigger than the Party. The Liberal Party that is.
As a result, the Chairman joined the Labor side of the House for a while. Literally.
There he is sitting with then Labor Ministers Marn Fern and Dr Craig of Emerson Contacts.
The Chairman was unbridled in talking up Rudd's ETS to the cost of his party.
The day after Tony Abbott became leader of a Liberal Party that had determined not to support Rudd's ETS, Turnbull published this - not to his party's base but to his lefty luvvies on Twitter.
Thanks for your support - sorry haven't had a chance to reply to all yr msgs. Very disappointed the ETS has been blocked in the Senate.
Turnbull had Christmas 2009 to think things over. Many people of principle resign from a business or organisation over an issue like this. Very few stay, take the pay, pretend to be a part of the team - and publicly advocate for the opposition on the boss's time. Malcolm could have become an independent. He could have left the Parliament. He could have just shut up.
But that wouldn't be Malcolm.
No winners in fight over climate change
February 8, 2010 Phillip Coorey
Principle will make a rare appearance in Parliament today when Malcolm Turnbull speaks in favour of the emissions trading scheme legislation that was reintroduced last week.
Turnbull, who helped shape the scheme and then lost his leadership for trying to have the Coalition support it, will adhere to his view that the only serious way to reduce greenhouse gases is with a market mechanism that caps emissions and puts a price on carbon.
After losing the leadership, he predicted that whatever scheme the Coalition came up with as an alternative policy would be ''a con, an environmental fig leaf to cover a determination to do nothing''.
Turnbull did not change his opinion last week when the Coalition released its policy, which requires people to do nothing if they choose, and relies on pledges from industries that do not want an ETS to cut their emissions in return for taxpayer-funded incentives.
This week he must decide whether to cross the floor to support the government bill, as he has threatened, or abstain as colleagues are urging.
Abstaining would be better for party unity and would augur more favourably should Turnbull ever want to be leader again, a prospect that would not arise until after the election, at the very earliest.
Former Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull has crossed the floor of Federal Parliament to vote in support of Labor's emissions trading scheme.
Mr Turnbull sat with government MPs in the lower house on the second reading vote to pass the carbon pollution reduction scheme. He was joined by independent MP Rob Oakeshott.
It didn't matter to the Chairman that Labor had the numbers to do what it wanted anyway.
Didn't matter that he could have abstained or sat the whole thing out licking his wounds.
Try to picture John Howard in opposition sidling over to the government benches to sit amongst Ros Kelly, Treasurer Keating or Gareth Evans to help them out. Sorry, can't see it. But innovative Malcolm is a different story.
Turnbull sought the limelight for himself at the expense of his Party. That's the sort of bloke he is.
What's to stop him doing the same thing to his country?